'Wheels of Desire': Fallbrook museum hosts motorcycle exhibition

As the director of exhibitions at the Art & Cultural Center
at Fallbrook, Mary Perhacs admits she's not a motorcycle fan, but
she still loves the center's new show, "Wheels of Desire," an
exhibit of motorcycles and motorcycle-related art.

"I must admit I'm having a lot of fun with this," said Perhacs.
"They're kind of sexy. A huge chopper just drove through the front
door of the art center and it was incredible."

The idea for the show came from a similar exhibit at the
Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Since that show
proved to be the biggest moneymaker in the museum's history, an art
center volunteer suggested a similar exhibit in Fallbrook.

"I wanted to do something different than the Guggenheim," said
Perhacs. "That's why we added the photographs and posters. It's
more like a museum show than a motorcycle show, with the history of
each bike printed and posted near it."

All the artwork, which includes etchings, original oils and
vintage photos, is from regional artists. The artwork mostly
features motorcycles and the people who love them.

Among the artists featured are Vista motorcycle enthusiast John
Gage, who manipulates images of motorcycles on his home computer.
Interestingly, Gage is also a Zen priest, Perhacs said. Also
featured from Vista is Brandon Lendak, a Palomar College freshman
who designs chopper-style motorcycles on his computer.

Three Fallbrook artists are in the show as well. Brett Stokes,
is an American Indian artist who paints vivid acrylic images of
motorcycles, including the popular Indian brand motorcycle, which
he once owned. Fallbrook watercolorist Toni Inman is showing images
she painted from the veterans' parade in San Diego last year
(featuring vets on motorcycles). And Fallbrook newcomer Igor
Koutsenko, a native of Russia, who has several etchings of classic
motorcycles in the exhibit.

"I also like to bring in the humanness of art," Perhacs said,
"so these are pictures of people riding motorcycles and displays
such as boots that have been worn out."

To put the show together, Perhacs and the center staff worked
with Richard Pearce of Rainbow. A former racer and a collector of
motorcycles, he contacted other collectors to lend their bikes. As
a result, the show features a wide range of historic street and
racing bikes, including an 1899 Peugeot, several Harley Davidsons
(1917, 1946, a KR Roadracer and an Ascot Flat Trucker), a 1946
Vincent Racer, Notrons, Indians, BMWs, Triumphs, Ducati, Suzuki,
Excelsior Board Track Racer, Rudge, AJS 7R, Matchless, Motoguzzi
Falcon, Vespa and others.

"There's something about these machines -- they're raw and
cool," Perhacs said. "Maybe it has something to do with the smell
of oil in the air, but there's an energy about all of it. There's
something anti-establishment about motorcycles."

To promote the show, the center has contacted many Southern
California motorcycle clubs -- 143 in all.

"I hope all the Fallbrook merchants will forgive me, because the
streets will be roaring with motorcycles," said Perhacs. "But then,
I really enjoy shaking things up. Art shouldn't be boring, and
these machines are beautiful in both function and design."

There's no fear this show will be boring.

"Looking at these bikes is addictive and mesmerizing," she said.
"We've hung a lot of great shows in this gallery, but these bikes
are just so amazing."